Latest on Ruben Dias as he attracts significant interest from England

Ruben Dias looked set to sign a new contract with Benfica, a deal that would have seen his release clause increase by 22 million euros to a hefty 88M.

We even reported just a few days ago that Benfica were closing in on an agreement with the Portuguese international centreback, looking to tie him down on a new and improved long-term deal.

And yet, the news now is that those talks have come to an abrupt halt, with the 22-year old having significant reservations about signing a new deal with the Portuguese champions.

So what happened, what changed? In truth, quite a lot. Dias really did close in on coming to an agreement with Benfica; both parties were happy with the proposal, and a verbal agreement was even reportedly reached that the new contract would be signed.

However, upon returning from a short break, Ruben Dias and his representatives had a change of heart, as the Portuguese centreback was advised that now would not be the appropriate time to sign a contract with a higher release clause.

The reason is believed to be due to the high interest in his services from clubs in the English Premier League. Many were - and are - in a position to be able to pay the 66 million euro release clause, which is what Benfica club president Luis Filipe Vieira will be holding out for. The proposed 88 million euro fee, though, would be deemed excessive by many clubs, who wouldn’t be willing to pay such sums for a centreback, regardless of quality and international pedigree.

Therefore, there is logic to the lack of contract renewal, even if the news does come to the great disappointment of Benfica fans.

However, does his reluctance to sign a new contract guarantee that he's leaving this summer, or that he even plans to leave this summer? Certainly not.

Ruben Dias earlier this month revealed that his mind is on nothing but Benfica, and he is fully focused on helping the club. It is highly possible that he wants to remain at the club for now, but does not want to commit to a new contract that would contain a release clause many clubs would be unwilling to pay.

It would mean that he has very little control over his future, and his chances of playing in the English Premier League in the future would have reduced considerably. So seeing Ruben Dias stay at Benfica for the next one or two seasons is still certainly a great possibility, but beyond that is perhaps highly unlikely.

So his lack of willingness to renew his contract does not, perhaps intriguingly, mean that he doesn’t want to stay at Benfica, at least for the upcoming season. Indeed, even if a club were to trigger his release clause, there is that slim possibility that he would turn it down to stay at Benfica for one last campaign.

So Dias is very open to the prospect of staying at Benfica, but wants to do so with a competitive clause in his contract to keep his options open.

However, there are are several clubs interested in Dias, more specifically from England, and many would be incredibly tempting proposals. You could argue, therefore, that currently a move away from Benfica could be deemed more likely than the alternative. Manchester United are one club keen on the player, the recent long-term injury of Eric Bailly, who is expected to be out of action for 4 to 5 months, only further increasing the chance of Dias heading to Old Trafford this summer.

The Red Devils are currently in hot pursuit of Leicester City centreback Harry Maguire, but with his club holding out for close to 100 million euros for his services, Manchester United may be forced to look elsewhere.

United’s arch rivals Manchester City are another side that may take a punt on Ruben Dias, the English champions having lost Vincent Kompany earlier this summer. While they do have Fernandinho that can cover in defence, no doubt that it is a position they would rather add some additional strength.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolverhampton Wanderers are also reportedly interested in signing the 11-time Portugal international. Wolves, who are playing in the Europa League this season, currently boast several high-profile Portuguese players, such as Rui Patricio, Joao Moutinho, Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota and Ruben Vinagre, and Dias would only be the latest in a long line of quality additions by the English outfit.

Whether they are actually willing to pay his release clause, though, is far more uncertain, and they are likely looking to negotiate a lower fee, which would be deemed unacceptable by Luis Filipe Vieira.

And Arsenal are the other English side to have shown an active interest in the Portuguese defender. Their centreback issues are well documented, with Laurent Koscielny looking to move on and Mustafi out of favour amongst a large portion of the supporters. Dias would prove an exceptional signing, and would solve some of Arsenal’s clear defensive problems.

Will Dias still be at Benfica come September? Ultimately, it comes down to whether a club, or clubs, will be willing to pay the 66 million euro release clause. And some likely will be. That is what will be the difference between Dias staying, and Dias potentially going.